CIAO DATE: 04/04

Kalmykia: From Oblivion to Reassertion?

Abstract

This paper provides background information on Kalmykia, one of the leastknown constituent republics of the Russian Federation. It then assesses recent developments in the fields of culture and language, and presents the recently adopted (October 1999) Language Act of Kalmykia. The following discussion highlights the key features of the Act, and argues that it reflects a thoroughly modern approach to linguistic diversity, in particular in its handling of the respective position of the Russian and Kalmyk languages.

Full text (PDF format, 38 pages, 1.98 MB)